Improvement in beeech-loading fiee-aemj



E. K. ROOT. Brech-Loadng `Fire-Arm.

www m Patented June 4, 1867.

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@Myne @auch faire getest @Hita MATILDA C. ROOT AND ELISHA COLT, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, AND HARRIS COLT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., /EXECUTORS 0F ELISHA K. ROOT, DECEASED.

Letters Patent No. 65,509, dated June 4, T867.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRBEGH-LOADING PIRBARMS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Beit knownvthat E. K. ROOT, deceased, late of Hartford, and State of Connecticut, did, during his lifetime, invent a certain new and useful Improvement in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference being marked thereon.

y Figure 1 represents a side view of the rear parts of a carbine embodying the improvement.

Figure 2 is a top View, and

Figure^3 a longitudinal section of the same.

Figure 4. is a cross-section at a; as, and

Figure 5 a partial longitudinal section, showing different positions of the breech-piece.

Figures 6 and 7 shojw, respectively, a top view and a longitudinal section of the lock-frame.

Figure 8, a view of the bottom of the breech-piece, and

Figure 9 a perspective view of the extractor for drawing out the empty cartridge shells.

This invention relates to fire-arms in which fixed ammunition with metallic shells is used, and may be applied to muskets, carbines, or pistols. It has for its object to furnish a strong andsimple apparatus for opening and closing the breech, for thrusting in the cartridge, and for extract-ing from the barrel the empty shells, which shall be eiective and convenient and secure from accident, and to these ends this invention consists in/a breechloading gun, constructed and operating substantially as hereinafter described. v

To enable those skilled in the art to fully comprehend this invention, we will proceed to describe the construction and operation of one of these improved guns, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings. I

In the several figures of the drawings similar letters of reference denote the samepart.

A represents the barrel, the rear end of which is screwed into the front part of a breech-frame, or, as we term it, the back-frame, B, which contains the removable breech-piece C, and al] the lock work, except the trigger D, which is hungin, the usual way to the guard-plate E. The breech-piece C lies, with its front end closing the breech, in a straight channel or recess d, formed in 'the upper part of the lock-frame B, which channel is, for the greater part of its length, wider at the bottom than the top; but near the rear end its walls are parallel at the width of the bottom. .At the rear part of the channel d is a shoulder or abutment, e, which forms the principal resisting point to prevent the recoil of the breech-piece C when the charge is exploded. Behind this abutment e is a recess of conical form, the back fof which forms an abutment supplementary to e. Directly over this conical recess the back-frame is somewhat higher than the part in front of it, and its upper edges g g book inward to-preveut tbe rear end of c being lifted too high. The shape ofthe breech-piece C is clearly indicated by the side and bottom views shown in figs. 5 and v8. The shoulder which rests against the abutment e is at h; and the conical part z' corresponds with the conical recess (atflin the lock-frame. The corners 7c k of this conical part t' project beyond the sides of the breech-piece, the width of which is; for the greater part, .equal to that of the top of the front part of the channel d in the lock-frame; but directly in front of, and forming part of, the shoulder h are, on either side, wings or ribs'l l, which thus increase the width of the piece c to that of the widest part of the said channel. M is the hammer, which is in the interior of the lockframe, and which is so shaped as to form also the tumbler. Its movements are limited by the check-pin n. O is the main-spring; P, the main-spring swivel; R, the sere, and S a peculiarly-shaped spring, one end of which serves as a sere-spring, and the other acts on a spring-latch or catch, T, which holds down the rear of the breechpiece. On the outer end of the arbor, on which the hammer is fixed, is a thumb-piece, V, for bringing the 'hammer to cock. The breech-piece C contains a. loose pin or rod, w, against the rear end of which the hammer strikes to explode the charge, the breech-piece being cut away to 4allow access of the hammer to the pin. The front end of this pin w is sharpened, and is in the proper position to be driven into fulminate ring of the cartridge by a blow of the hammer M. A small plate on the front end of the breech-piece, perforated for the point of the pin, prevents the' said pin from being thrown too far forward, and a small screw, rv, keeps it. from dropping out backward. As a further precaution to prevent the mutilation of the barrel by the pin w a recess, a, is cut in the barrel opposite to' the point ofthe pin'. The extreme rear en'cl of the breech-piece C is formed into a kind oi' bow, c, which furnishes a convenient place to grasp for thc purpose of dra-wing out the breech-piece, and also forms a guard for the spring-catch T, which is located directly under it, and the end of which is so shaped that it may readily be pulled back by the fingers which grasp the how ot the breech-piece, and be unhooked by the saine movement of the lingers which is required to lift the end of C preparatory to pulling the breech-piece back. Z is the extractor,l thc form of which is clearly shown by lig. 9. lts front part enters a recess cut in the barrel to receive it, and is curved out to correspond with the bore of the chamber. Its extremo front end partially cncircles the cartridge shell just in front of the flange ot' the said shell. The extractor lies iiat in the bottom of the channel fl of the lock-frame, in which it can slide hack and forth under the breechpiecc C. At the front end of C are two short lugs or wings, I, projecting from its sides, which, when C is drawn back, strike' the rear raised end of the extractor Z and draw it back. A shoulder on C, at m, pushes the extractor forward from behind. This shoulder is at such a distance behind the lugs b that the breech-piece may be moved back or forward some considerable distance without stirring the extractor. [l is a check-pin or stop, against which the rear end of the extractor strikes, and limits the distance to which the breech can be drawn back. This stop-pin is iattened on one side, and is so located that, when it is turned partly around on its axis, from the position shown in the drawings, it ceases to form a stop, and permits the breeclrpiece and the extractor to be so far drawn back as to be taken out of the locivfranie. The length ot the extractor is such that it projects a considerable distance, say, fire-eighths of an inch, beyond the front end of the breech-piece when drawn back to the stop. The lugs b, on the front cnd of C, slide under the overlianging edges ot' the channel in the lock-frame, and keep the front end of the breech-piece from being lifted out of its place.

The fire-arm thus constructed is operated'as follows: The hammer is first raised to half or full cock bythe thuinbpiece V. The how c of the breech-piece is grasped by the fingers, and, at the same time, the-springlatch T is drawn back, and the rear end of the breech-piece raised into the position shown by red lines in fig. 5. The projecting corners c, catching under the hooks g on the lock-frame, prevent its being raised too high. This raising of the breechpiece C frees it from the abutments c andf, and permits it to be pulled back into the position in tig. 5, by the black lines. The ribs ZZ, sliding under the hooks gg, and on top of the abutments e andf, guide the'piece C correctly. The operation opens the breech of the barrel, and a cartridge is now inserted by thrusting the end of ball int-o the chamber of the barrel, and dropping the cartridge into the channel d. The process requires no particular caution, because, on account of thc considerable projection at this time of the extractor Z beyond the-front end of the breech-piece, it does not matter whether the ball be thrust in far or little, nor whether 'the cartridge be, within practical limits, short or long. The ange of the shell will certainly fall within the extractor, that is to say, between the 'front end of the extractor and the breech-piece. The breech-piece is now thrust forward, thereby pushing the cartridge into the chamber of the barrel, the extractor Z being, at the same time, thrust into place ahead ofthe flange of the cartridge shell by the shoulder m. When the breech-piece is pushed so far forward asto close the breech behind the shell its rear end is pressed down untilthe spring-catch T latches over the projection on the breech-piece, by which it is held down. This breechpiece is new locked firmly into its place, the shoulders e and f forming secure and reliable abutments to resist thevreaction of the discharge, and the piece may now be fired, after which, when it is desired to recharge the gun, the emptycartridge shell lis drawn out by forcibly pulling back the breechpiece,\the lugs 6 on the front end of' which come into violent contact with the rear end of the extractor Z, and thus Withdraw the shell from the chamber, and land it in the channel d, out of which it may be dropped by tipping the gun.

Having fully described the construction and operation of this brocoli-loading gun, what we claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The employment, in construction with the open hrcech-barrel/aud frame, of a sliding breech-piece, constructed and arranged to operate in the manner substantially as set forth.

2. We also claim the extractonshoe or piece, in combination with the sliding breech-piece, and the trame 1n which both said parts work, arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

3. We Ialso claim the doubleacting spring S, in combination with the sere R and catch-bar T, the whole constructed to operate substantially as set forth.

4. W'e also claim the hammer M, constructed as described, in combination with the sliding-rod or bar w and cheek-pin n, substantially as described for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof` We have hereunto set our hands and seals this 18th day of January, 1866.

MATILDA C. ROOT. [L. s]

ELISHA COLT. [1.. s]

HARRIS COLT. [L s.:|

Witnesses: Estesi/.tors of Elisha If. Root, deceased.

C. N. SHIPMAN, H. W. WELCH. 

